Marwah to challenge Akbar in Golkar leadership race

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Golkar deputy leader Marwah Daud Ibrahim said on Monday that she was ready to challenge party leader Akbar Tandjung in the party's leadership election at its 7th national congress in Bali from Dec. 15 to Dec. 20.

"As the incumbent, Pak Akbar is the most prepared candidate, but I am ready to challenge him, otherwise there will only be one candidate in the leadership race," Marwah said here.

She said that after announcing her readiness to contest the election, she would approach the party's regional chapters to muster up support.

The statute and platform of the party will also be discussed at the national congress.

Golkar's research and development department deputy leader Hajriyanto Y. Thohari, meanwhile, said that Marwah would likely be Akbar's main rival in the leadership election.

According to him, other Golkar leaders would not challenge Akbar as they considered he had successfully led the party since 1998.

"However, figures from outside Golkar's executive board will contest the race," he added.

Akbar was elected Golkar leader at the party's congress in Jakarta in 1998. He defeated Edi Sudradjat, who later set up the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI).

Akbar took over party leadership when anti-Golkar sentiment was still running high due to its support of former president Soeharto, who ruled the country with an iron first for more than three decades.

He successfully consolidated the party, which came second in the 1999 election, the first following the fall of Soeharto in 1998.

"Akbar's success in consolidating the party will deter other Golkar leaders from contesting the election," Hajriyanto added.

Marwah said she would also propose that the presidential convention process be included in Golkar's statute to ensure the party's commitment to the promotion of democracy.

She said that Golkar should allow those who contested the presidential convention to contest the leadership election. They are former military chief Gen. (ret) Wiranto, former chief of the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto, media baron Surya Paloh, and Yogyakarta Governor, Sultan Hamengkubuwono X.

Other possible contestants are Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Coordinating Minister for the Economy Aburizal Bakrie, and House Speaker Agung Laksono.

Among the bodies that have voting rights at the party's national congress are the Central Executive Board (DPP), the Provincial chapters (DPD I), and subsidiary organizations, such as the Multipurpose Cooperation of Mutual Assistance (Kosgoro), Indonesian Organizational Center for Independent Employees (Soksi), and the Mutual Assistance Consultative Organization (MKGR), and others.